Credit by Exam Information
Deadlines for CBE Testing
The deadlines (by claiming date, as outlined below) for credit to be applied to each session are:
Spring: May 31
Summer: August 31
Fall: December 31
Graduating seniors who need CBE credit to meet their graduation requirements should check with their program’s office to find out if they have deadlines that precede these.
The testing center at Texas State University (TEMC) closes for approximately two weeks at the end of December every year for Winter Break, and on other recognized holidays, so the deadlines to test for students who wish to test on campus may be earlier than the above. Please check university calendars for specific closure dates.
Student Responsibilities
If taking an exam at a testing center other than Texas State, list Texas State as a score recipient. It is your responsibility to stay in contact with TEMC to make sure that score reports are received.
Be certain that the exam you are taking is acceptable for credit at Texas State or any other institution you may plan to attend.
NOTE: Not all credit examinations are accepted at Texas State. Decisions concerning credit-by-examination vary across institutions.
If you wish to take a credit-bearing-examination at Texas State, review the appropriate TEMC web pages for procedures, hours, and registration deadlines. Email questions not answered on the website to testingcenter@txstate.edu if you intend to test at our San Marcos facility, or rrc-testing@txstate.edu if you intend to test at our Round Rock facility.
Claiming credit for an examination/course that does not apply toward your degree plan may make you ineligible for a tuition rebate. See the Fees and Expenses page of the Undergraduate Catalog for information on the tuition rebate and consult with your academic advisor if you have questions.
Claiming Credit
Students who attempt a credit-bearing exam (CBE) in the TEMC testing lab or Testing Center, Round Rock will submit a CBE Registration Form prior to testing. When this form is submitted in combination with a passing score on the relevant exam, the exam date will be considered the date that credit is claimed.
For CLEP exams taken at other testing centers, TEMC will consider the date that official score reports are received as the date that credit is claimed, unless the student submits a CBE Registration Form and a photocopy of the unofficial score report with a passing score prior to that, in which case the date of receipt of those two documents will be considered the date of the claim. The CBE Registration Form can be requested by email at testingcenter@txstate.edu. When taking CLEP at another testing center, the student should select Texas State as the official score recipient. CLEP will send the official score report to TEMC.
Reporting CBE Credit
Once a student claims credit at the San Marcos or Round Rock Testing Center, TEMC will report the credit to the Registrar’s Office where it will become part of the student’s official academic record. Applying the credit to the student’s Texas State transcript may take up to three weeks after the official score report is received.
Accommodations
- Students with disabilities who may require accommodations for tests to be taken in the TEMC testing lab (not in ATSD) or the Testing Center, Round Rock (not DS testing) must contact Disability Services (512.245.3451) prior to taking the test. Verification of disability will be required.
- It is the responsibility of the examinee to inform the proctor on duty in the testing lab prior to the start of any test of any accommodations that need to be applied.
- All examinees who require accommodations must complete a SM Accommodated Testing Request Form to test at our San Marcos facility or the TCRR Accommodated Testing Request Form to test at our Round Rock facility at least two weeks prior to the desired exam date. Requests will be processed within two business days. Please note our testing lab hours and available start times for the exam you wish to take when selecting your appointment time and make sure to take into account additional time you may need.
Texas State University Credit-By-Examination Policies
Applying CBE Credit
In general, credit-by-exam will be awarded as “credit only” (CR) and will not affect a student's GPA; however, grades of A or B in addition to CR may be awarded by the Department of Modern Languages for the French, German, and Spanish CLEP exams to recognize superior achievement. Letter grades, if awarded, will be included in the GPA. In cases where grades of A or B may be awarded, the student will have the option to request that a CR be awarded instead.
Credit-by-exam satisfies degree requirements in the same way as does credit earned by passing courses except that is does not count as credit earned in residence. Credit for graduate courses cannot be earned via examination.
Credit earned via credit by exam at another post-secondary institution and included on their transcript for students transferring to Texas State will be evaluated for transfer eligibility in the same manner as other traditional course credit.
Unsuccessful Attempts and Retakes
Students may retake an exam only after three (3) months have elapsed. Certain credit examinations may have a limit in the number of attempts permitted.
Unsuccessful attempts to earn credit by examination will not be recorded on the transcript or other official records except as needed to record the number and date of test attempts.
Requirements
Any prerequisites for a course must be satisfied prior to the examination in that course.
The credit-by-exam program requires the passing of a nationally normed or local test such as CLEP, AP, or a departmental exam or a combination.
Cut Scores and Course Equivalencies
Credit-by-exam performance standards are set by the department in which the courses are taught. These standards hold university wide and cannot be raised or lowered by other departments or schools.
If a department chooses not to award course credit for one of their courses on the basis of CLEP, IB, AP or other CBE exams, no other program, school, department, or administrative unit within the university can accept CLEP scores for that course.
Credit-Bearing-Exams (CBE) such as CLEP, AP, IB, or ACTFL may be taken at locations other than Texas State University; however, credit will be evaluated based upon Texas State's criteria.
Exceptions
Special circumstances regarding credit-by-examination taken at Texas State will be considered by the relevant academic department and the Testing, Evaluation, and Measurement Center (TEMC) on an individual student basis. Special circumstances regarding the transfer of credit-by-examination to Texas State will be considered by the department, TEMC, and the Office of Admissions on an individual student basis.
The Department of Occupational, Workforce, and Leadership Studies may offer some additional credit-by-exam options for students in that program.
Updates and Changes to CBE Policy
CBE Policies and Procedures, including cut scores, exams accepted for credit, and course credit(s) earned may be changed by the authorized academic department without prior notice. Each department is expected to review its credit-by-examination procedures on an annual basis. However, formal policy and procedural changes will be made every two years with the implementation of the new catalog.
Provost's CBE Policies
For the Texas State University Provost's Policies and Procedures statement about credit-by-exam, see their Policy and Procedures page.
Texas State will support the award of credit for the College Board Advanced Placement Program. However, departments are responsible for selecting the courses to receive credit and the appropriate cut-off scores.